Polypodiaceae J.Presl & C.Presl

Plants perennial, terrestrial, on rock, or often epiphytic, erect, arching, or occasionally pendent. Stems long-to short-creeping, branched or not, bearing scales and few to numerous roots, usually dictyostelic. Leaves monomorphic to dimorphic, circinate in bud. Petiole usually articulate at base [rarely nonarticulate, as in Loxogramme ], lacking scales or sometimes scaly, with usually 3 vascular bundles. Bladesimple to often pinnatifid, pinnatisect, or pinnate, infrequently moredivided; rachis grooved or not adaxially. Veins free (and simpleto several times forked) to often anastomosing in complex systems, areoleswith or without included veinlets. Indument on blade absent, orpetiole, rachis, costae, and sometimes blade tissue usually bearing hairs(these often septate and with reddish crosswalls) and/or scales. Soriborne abaxially on veins, round to oblong, occasionally elongate, rarelymarginal, rarely covering surface; paraphyses present or absent; sporangiawith stalk of 2 or 3 rows of cells; indusia absent. Spores usuallytransparent or yellowish (rarely greenish), all 1 kind, bilateral, monolete[rarely trilete, as in some Loxogramme], surface most often smooth,tuberculate, verrucose, or granulate, occasionally spiny, 64 per sporangium(spores globose and 32 per sporangium in apogamous spp.). Gametophytesgreen, aboveground, cordate or elliptic, glabrous or sometimes glandular;archegonia and antheridia borne on lower surface, antheridia 3-celled.